Round Two: Saint Petersburg

[dogspot]

I’d like to preface this trip report by mentioning that this is my 3rd trip to Russia and 2nd WOVO. My first relationship lasted a year and a half and ended during the first 90 days of a K1. I am not writing this TR to discuss my previous relationship and reasons why it failed. Perhaps one day I will tell this story for all those beginning this long strange trip. Right now I only mention my previous relationship here because it pertains to my current situation slightly. I ask everyone to please refrain from asking questions about my previous relationship. Unless they are sent to me via PM, they will go unanswered.

The woman I plan to meet (we will call her Elena for this TR) is one whom I began corresponding with during the early phases of my previous relationship. During that time I was apprehensive about pursuing this woman because she made it clear to me that she was uncertain about international relationships and had ended previous correspondence with another foreign man after 6 months because of his unwillingness to take it slow. At the time, the idea of taking it slow did not appeal to me.  I was ready to jump on a plane and meet someone.  I also had a budding relationship developing with the other lady (I will call her Natasha for this TR). My correspondence continued with Elena but it never felt like it was headed in a romantic direction. We share many common interests and I felt attached to her through these interests. I told her about Natasha and she understood completely and told me that she still wished to correspond with me and remain my friend.

So all through my previous relationship with Natasha, I had a pen pal named Elena (not her real name) with whom I enjoyed sharing ideas about film, music and culture. We had developed a great friendship and I was always honest with her about my situation with Natasha while not disclosing unnecessary details about my relationship. As well, Natasha was aware that I had a pen pal in Russia. She never questioned it and never had a problem with it.

Earlier this year, my relationship with Natasha ended and I began to pursue Elena a little more assertively. I told her that I always wanted to visit St. Petersburg, a city she adores, and told her I would be traveling there in the fall. She expressed her desire to join me there and asked me if I would coordinate my 2 week holiday with hers. Of course, this was not a problem for me. I agreed and we both made our own separate arrangements to meet in Piter.

The following is my trip report that is being written as I am experiencing it in Piter. I have always hesitated to post my stories on this board but I feel RWD has been an incredibly useful tool for me in this endeavor and feel it is my turn to give back to the community. (What better way to give back than with a TR, right?)  Like everyone else that has posted before me, my story is unique and there just might be some information that is useful to some newby lurker who is thinking of beginning this crazy yet amazing journey. Of course, I also write to appease those out there who, like me, enjoy reading of others’ experiences in the FSU.

[dogspot]

Day 0

My flight to Russia was my usual non-stop LA to Moscow on Aeroflot. I slept a few hours and the flight was uneventful. It seems like the more I make this trip the shorter it gets. Anyway, I landed at Sheremetyevo and made my way through the herds of travelers through passport control. I decided to stay to the left at passport control and as the lines disappeared for residents, I noticed the lady who was in charge of keeping order in passport control was allowing a few foreigners at a time to pass through the resident gates. So I casually made my way over to this short line while the lady wasn’t looking. I think I saved myself at least 30 minutes by doing this.

I arrived in Piter at 12:45 am and was met by Alex, the guy who I am renting an apartment from. Alex speaks very little English and my Russian is not that great. But we managed to communicate quite well. He brought me to my apartment and helped me up the 6 flights of stairs with my bags as the lift had mysteriously stopped working (it looks like it hasn’t worked in years).

My apartment is a small place located on Suvorovsky Prospect, about 10-15 minute walk from Nevsky. While it is not the nicest apartment in the world, it is quite comfortable and loaded with everything I could possibly need. To be honest, since the cost is only $37 per night, I was expecting much less. But this place is actually not bad. If anyone is looking for a very cheap place in Piter, and does not require luxury, PM me and I will give you this guy’s information.

**note: I wrote this a last week while staying at this apartment and still feel it is a good place for the price. But keep in mind this place will not impress any women. Some might even think it’s a little creepy due to the locked gate that separates this flat from the rest of the building. The owner also recommended that I lock all 3 doors. I have since moved to a much larger, much newer, and much nicer apartment, and my lady wants to stay here all the time. At the other flat she hardly wanted to remove her coat.**

I finally made it to bed at around 2:30 but didn’t sleep too well due to jetlag and excitement to meet Elena for the first time. My mind was racing. What were my expectations for the following day? Is it possible that Elena is interested in a relationship with me? Are we just friends? What if there is no chemistry between us and we have committed to 2 weeks together? Ahhhh…I finally reminded myself that it does no good to worry about such things. I simply needed to be myself and let things happen naturally. With this in mind I drifted off to sleep.

[dogspot]

Day 1
I woke up at 6:30 for my 10:00 meeting with Elena. I unpacked, organized my apartment, showered, got dressed, and spent some time with my Pimsleur language program. This is a great way to kill time and practice my skills before getting out there and putting them to good use. I began my walk down Suvorovsky toward the Vosstaniya station which was our scheduled meeting place. The sky was clear and the temperature was quite cool but not too cold. It was a Sunday morning and there were no crowds. I found a flower stand and purchased on long stem red rose for Elena and waited for her outside the exit to the metro station.

I arrived early and waited about 20 minutes for her to arrive. Our first meeting was a memorable one for me. I saw her approaching me from 10 or so meters away. We were looking into one another’s eyes but it seemed neither of us was certain of each other. As she approached, our eyes continued to stare into one another. I smiled and so did she. At this moment my heart warmed as I saw her beautiful smile. We hugged each other long and tight, as if we were long lost friends or relatives that had not seen each other in years. It is a moment I will never forget. I presented her with her rose and she was obviously thrilled. We stood and chatted for a brief moment before she took my arm and we wandered off down Nevsky to begin our holiday together.

As we walked down Nevsky, I mentioned that I had not had breakfast so we stopped for breakfast at Chocolatay (sp?).  Shy laughter ensued as we spoke with each other for the first time ever while looking into each other’s eyes. It was quite a thrill. Our conversation was good but still a bit awkward because of the disbelief,  ore from her than from me, that we had finally met in person after all this time corresponding. I could not keep from smiling and blushing. I was so happy.

Our day continued and our agenda consisted of walking up and down Nevsky and exploring the side streets. We did this for most of the day while stopping for snacks and later for piva.

That evening I was feeling the effects of jetlag big time.  We were enjoying piva and pub food but the conversation began to fade. We were both becoming very tired and part of me began to worry if we were running out of things to talk about. I walked her back to the metro station, where we exchanged a brief kiss on each other’s cheek and said goodnight as she set off to her friend’s apartment at Akademicheskaya.

[Taz]

Thanks for posting. I can't wait to read the rest of the trip report. I enjoyed Piter a lot the times I've been there. The one downside to the city is that if you want to use the metro system, the stops are much further apart than in Moscow or Kiev for example.

So are you still in Piter or did you already return?

[dogspot]

Day 2
I woke today to a slight drizzle. It wasn’t too wet, however, and I was able to make my way to meet Elena at Vosstaniya station. As I waited it began to show. It was a very wet mixture of rain and snow that was quite uncomfortable. Right next to the exit to Vosstaniya Station, there is a little café that serves cheap coffee and baked goods. I ducked down into this café to wait for Elena.

My phone rang and I noticed Elena standing outside the station. I directed her into the café and she greeted me with a long, soft kiss on the cheek (this kiss wanted to land somewhere else, I could feel it). We sat and chatted and she giggled a lot. The feeling between us was warm but still a bit unfamiliar.

After coffee, we set out to visit The Hermitage. We walked all the way to the end of Nevsky in the wet snow and rain to the museum. The entire area around the museum and winter palace was one large puddle and there were no people around at all. We approached the entrance and realized that it was Monday and they are closed on Mondays. Oh well.

We walked some more in the rain and stopped for tea and coffee. We had a great conversation about language and we eached asked many questions about the other’s language. It was quite fun. I learned a lot and was able to answer many of the questions she was asking me about grammar and rules of English language. She already knows quite a lot. In fact, I think I am learning some things about my own language from her.

We decided we should go down to the travel office to register my visa. We found the approximate address on the map and hopped on the metro to take care of this. We found the street where trhe office is located but misjudged the distance from the metro station. It was cold, wet and windy and we ended up walking about a mile to the travel office. Although the umbrella kept us dry up top, both of us were soaked from the knees down.

We arrived at the travel office and they asked for my voucher and I realized I had forgotten it at my flat. Luckily for me, they were willing to accept a copy of it emailed to them.
On the way back to the metro station, we decided to take the bus: Brilliant idea. As fun as it can be to walk around this beautiful city, there is a time and a place to use public transportation. This was one of those times.

Cold and wet, we decided we needed to seek shelter indoors for the remainder of the day. Elena mentioned a favorite movie theater that shows mostly foreign and independent films. I agreed to join her for a Mexican film with Russian subtitles. I don’t recall the name f the film but it was pretty good. I speak some Spanish and was able to get the gist of the film. I did fall asleep for a small portion of the film (jetlag) but it was a short nap.

After the film and dryer than before, we decided to walk down and around Nevsky. I noticed a Russian restaurant the previous day and wanted to give it a try. I don’t recall the name of the restaurant but the food was excellent. I enjoyed the beef stroganov and Elena had a mushroom soup and julienned mushroom side dish. I normally don’t drink vodka but when I am in Russia I enjoy it. I enjoyed a couple vodka shows with my Mors. Elena drank only Mors.

We walked back to the metro station and said goodnight. We hugged and her lips joined mine for a small nervous peck (she seemed nervous).

I walked to my flat from the station and pondered the developments of our relationship. I definitely felt that she was feeling something more than friends. She had mentioned to me that she likes to move slow in relationships so I was cruising along at her speed. I felt confident that things were moving at the right pace and that day by day we would feel more and more comfortable with each other.

[dogspot]

Day 3
I woke up somewhat early feeling extremely hungry. I put on my headphones and went for a walk around the city. I enjoyed watching all the different people scurrying to work in the early morning. I stopped into a café and enjoyed a cup of joe and some blini. I received a call from Elena that she was on the metro and wanted to meet me in 30 minutes.
Today was cold but not so wet. We again walked all the way to the end of Nevsky to The Hermitage. This time we were able to enjoy the museum for a few hours. We stood in line for a few minutes to buy tickets and attempted to buy 2 tickets for Russian citizens. Unfortunately, the ticket agent asked for our passports, saw that mine was blue, had a few choice words for Elena and sold us one resident and one foreigner ticket. (We both laughed)

The museum was wonderful. I particularly enjoyed the old armor and weapons, as well as the Rembrandts and Kandinskys.

After Hermitage we walked, talked, walked, talked… I think we walked 10 miles today. It was wonderful! We just have so much fun together. We have both found that we don’t need a destination or activity to satisfy us. We simply enjoy being together. Oh, what a wonderful feeling.

We stopped at a great little sushi joint on the way home. They were having a great special on sushi and we filled up. One thing I discovered at this restaurant that I somehow never encountered in my previous trips to Russia was the coed restroom. I entered the restroom and there were two women in there fixing their makeup.  Embarrased that I entered the wrong room, I quickly turned around and retreated to our table. I told Elena and she said this it is normal for there to be one restroom for both sexes; one sink and two stalls for men and women. OK…

After dinner I walked Elena back to the Metro station and enjoyed a nice parting series of kisses on the mouth. These weren’t deep kisses but nice gentle kisses and many of them. I felt then that things were progressing at a comfortable rate. After all, we still have 11 days together.

[dogspot]

Day 4

Today I celebrated my 37th birthday (Elena is 25). Elena mentioned to me last night that she wanted me to wait at my flat for her in the morning rather than meet at our normal meeting place. She arrived at noon with a nice soft kiss on my lips and a cake that she stayed up baking for me the night before. She also brought two hardback books as a gift; she had collected short stories by one of her favorite Russian authors and had them bound for me. On one of the introduction pages, she had photos from an earlier trip to Piter printed on it and the words “To my good friend, Jeffrey. Happy 37th birthday. Love, Elena …St. Petersburg, October  14, 2009."

We sat at the small table in my crowded little flat and enjoyed birthday cake and tea. We talked, listened to music, and viewed photos on my laptop. It was already an amazing day for me.

I mentioned I wanted to get out of the apartment, even though it was very-very cold outside. We set out to walk around Piter. We found a little restaurant called Dubai Café on Nevsky that has tasty dishes served in a buffet style business lunch. I was quite impressed with the quality and taste of the food for the price. We sat by the window and watched people walk down the busy street. Occasionally we would make comments about people and laugh or make jokes about people’s facial expressions and such.

We got out and walked and talked for most of the day. We decided to go back to the kino theater that we visited a few days prior and viewed a really bad English film. She leaned over and whispered in my ear about half way through that she didn’t like the film. I told her to give it a chance. We did and ended up leaving before the end of the film. It was really bad. We both laughed about it as we walked around town.

We were looking for a particular Italian restaurant for dinner but neither of us could remember where it was. So we opted to eat sushi again at Wasabi. This dinner was pleasant. Elena sat very close to me and we kissed while we waited for our food to arrive. The sushi was OK but the noodle and rice dishes we ate were fantastic. After dinner we sat at our table, still very close to each other and talked, smiled and kissed. I am not one for PDA but I wasn’t going to say no to the deep kisses she was bestowing on me.

I walked her back to the metro and the kisses continued. I didn’t want her to leave but I didn’t feel the time was right yet to invite her to stay with me. Our embrace was long and tender as we parted ways for the evening. I said goodnight and watched her as she disappeared beyond the turnstiles at the station.

My walk home was pleasant. I wished she was with me but I knew I had made the right decision in waiting for her cue to spend the night together. This birthday was fantastic. The only gift I wanted was her and I received exactly what I wished for.

[dogspot]

Day 5

I woke up this morning and needed to go for a walk. I have been “borrowing” internet from someone in my building for the past few days but it is extremely slow and unreliable. I need to find a new apartment as I only reserved my current one for 6 days and they already had someone moving in tomorrow.

I was reading Phil d’Amore’s report (thanks Phil…great report) about his recent visit to SPb and about free internet at McDonald. So I made my way toward Nevsky and bought myself a Cappuccino at McDonald and used their internet for a bit. I found some great leads on apartments and contacted a very friendly and helpful woman named Irina about some inexpensive studios she was advertizing.

I contacted Irina by phone and she offered me half dozen flats and recommended one that was close to Nevsky. The price was right and without looking at the place, I agreed to meet the owner the following morning.

Elena met me at Vosstaniya Square and we walked back to my flat to leave my computer. We decided to walk in a different direction today, down side streets. We ended up on a seemingly endless road that ran adjacent to The River Neva. I imagined walking this long stretch alone in the summer alone and how unpleasant it would be. But it was bitter cold instead and I had a beautiful woman on my arm. There were no complaints from me.

We were walking toward Nevski with a destination of The Russian Museum. On the way to the museum on Nevsky we passed some babushka selling roses. Without hesitation and in the middle of conversation with Elena, I reached into one of the buckets, pulled out a beautiful orange and red rose, handed it to Elena, and handed the granny 50 Rubles. I did this without stopping conversation and I could see that Elena felt it was quite romantic and…well…cool. She squeezed my arm tight and, blushing and smiling large, let out a little squeak. We walked a few steps down the street and Elena tugged on my arm and said “thank you”. She proceeded to give me a passionate thank you kiss in the middle of passerbys on the crowded sidewalk. I smiled slightly and said “pazhalusta” and listened to her laugh with delight.

 We finally arrived at the museum and had only one hour to spend inside. Elena tried to purchase two tickets for Russian citizens but the lady charged her for one foreigner. I am convinced that these ticket agents are trained to spot tourists by simply looking at them. It could also be that she noticed the woman was making the purchase and doing the negotiating. This might be a dead giveaway.

The museum was great. I recommend this one for anyone who is planning to visit SPb in the future and enjoys museums/art. I wish I could remember the names of the artists but unfortunately my mind doesn’t work that way (especially with Russian surnames). Regardless, I was impressed as much by the works in this place as I was with the Hermitage. Unfortunately, we were rushed out of there by every employee in the place with 10 minutes until closing. We tried to stay but in every room there was another rude woman with words to say (I actually get a kick out of the way they so “kindly” request us to leave).

We left the museum and had a few hours to kill until the concert at the Jazz Philharmonic. We stopped and ate some delicious pizza at a little café outside The Minaret Theater. I could see that Elena was tired as she didn’t have much to say during our meal. But she still smiled and stared into my eyes a lot.

After this little meal we were walking down one of the canals and we crossed a bridge. When we were at the middle of the bridge I stopped and motioned for Elena to come close to me. I said “this is so romantic” and she replied, “Yes, it is romantic” and we began to kiss. I snapped a photo of that bridge and the view down the canal that evening for both of us to remember that moment.

Elena told me to follow her and she would guide me to The Philharmonic. She already knew the address but requested the map so she could pinpoint the address. I gave it to her and she navigated us in the wrong direction. She realized this early and we viewed the map again to confirm. We both laughed at this because she had admitted to me numerous times before about being bad with directions. But I wisely followed her lead. So we came to the area where the address *should* be for the Philharmonic but the address didn’t exist. She was confused and pulled out the tickets. It turns out she was lloking for the wrong street. We laughed and she apologized and informed me that I would be the leader and navigator for the remainder of our trip. We laughed some more and I guided us to the Philharmonic.

We found our seats in the small venue at one of the tables closest to the stage against the wall. It was very comfortable. I tried to order wine for both of us but Elena declined my offer. I was a bit disappointed as I envisioned this night to be a little more romantic. But I didn’t how it and instead ordered wine for myself and juice for her. The show was good but it was a vocal performance and we both agreed that we would have preferred it to be a quartet, as the musicians were all amazing, especially the pianist. His solos were magnificent.

At the intermission, Elena asked me if we would be having dinner after the show. I said maybe and she replied that her friend (that she is staying with) is showing a little jealousy about her spending most of her time with me. She said she thought she should go back to her place early and spend some time with her. I agreed.

After the show we walked back to the Metro station and said goodbye. I was a little concerned walking home because our goodbye was lacking in the physical sense this evening. Elena’s body language spoke that she did not want a long, close kiss but instead short goodnight pecks. It was fine but I still wondered what was up with her. She was obviously tired. Oh well. I put my headphones on and began my long walk home alone.

[dogspot]

Day 6

I write this on a rainy Saturday morning at Coffee Haus by my new apartment on Vladimirskaya Prospekt. Yesterday was by far my best day yet in Piter.

First of all, I slept very good in my final night in the old apartment. My bedtime wasn’t very late the previous night and I received a deep 9 hours of sleep. I rose at 8:30 feeling flightly fatigued but thankful that my body was fully adjusted to being here. My mind and body are now definitely on the same page.

I woke up and began to pack my bags for the move to the new apartment. I arranged for the daughter of the old apartment owner to meet at 11:00 and for Elena to be there at the same time. I checked out of the apartment, received my deposit back and walked with Elena and my belonging down Sokorovsky toward Nevsky and my new flat.

Elena looked especially cute today, as she was dressed more casually in jeans,  Converse ChuckTaylors and a light coat. She smiled a lot as we made the seemingly long journey down Suvorovsky.

We arrived at the new apartment on Stremannaya Ulitsa and were invited in by the apartment owner; a very sweet lady who spoke almost no English. Both Elena and me were amazed at the new apartment. The old studio loft was a dump compared to this spacious one bedroom. Located just a block off of Nevsky, this new apartment is gorgeous. I could see that Elena REALLY liked this new apartment and even told me so with a delightful smile.

After the apartment owner left, Elena and I sat and kissed. We were both elated with the new apartment. We enjoyed a wonderful embrace and fell asleep together in what has become *our* new apartment (although she is technically still “staying” with her friend).

After our nap we had lunch at one of the many cafes on Nevsky and began our daily ritual of wandering aimlessly around Piter. But this day was different. We shared a new comfort with one another. Our relationship evolved into a bond that can only be described by me as true love. We laughed and kissed as we walked. We often gazed deep into each other’s eyes and shared in the joy of our blossoming love.

Our walk today brought us to St. Isaacs Cathedral and Church of the Spilled Blood. We took many photos and admired each structure from the outside. We had a concert to catch at 2000 and were merely killing time.

We decided to make our way toward the club where Yoav would be performing. We arrived at the venue a little early and, although there was a line, we were the first guests to be allowed in. We found a nice couch to sit on in the back corner and ordered a couple beers while we waited for the performance to begin. We sat close, talked, kissed, and watched as people filed into the small venue. I could not believe how many absolutely stunning women were in attendance for this show. I remembered some guy wrote a TR about a failed visit to Piter and not being able to meet any women after his WMVM went south. I can’t believe anyone would have a problem meeting beautiful women in this city. They are everywhere and many of them have that look in their eyes like they are waiting for someone to approach them.

Anyway, the show was fantastic and both Elena and I were beaming afterward. We made our way back to my flat at the conclusion of the show. Elena mentioned wanting to watch the bridge being raised at 0125, so we had some time to kill. We spent this time viewing more of my old family photos and I told stories about my youth. She showed a tremendous amount of delight in this and smiled a lot and constantly wanted to kiss me.

An hour before bridge raising and we began the long walk down Nevsky toward The Palace Bridge. There was a crowd of 100 or so people to watch the bridge being drawn. I wasn’t so interested in the bridge as I was in being with Elena and holding her in my arms.

We walked back toward my flat and Elena asked a taxi driver about the cost of a ride back to where she was staying. The driver said there was no way of getting there until morning because the bridges were all raised. It’s funny because Elena was partially aware of this dilemma but never mentioned it. Instead she asked me “Is it ok if I stay with you until the morning?”

I had the best night sleep I have had in a long time.  

[dogspot]

Thanks for posting. I can't wait to read the rest of the trip report. I enjoyed Piter a lot the times I've been there. The one downside to the city is that if you want to use the metro system, the stops are much further apart than in Moscow or Kiev for example.

So are you still in Piter or did you already return?

Thanks, Taz.

Yes, I am still here in Peter. I will be here another 7 days, including today and my departure day. I want to stay longer but Elena has to be back to work in Novosib next week.

I haven't been using the metro much as I have been staying here in the center. We have been walking everywhere for the most part. But I have a feeling we will be doing less walking as I have developed an extremely sore ankle that is making it difficult to get around.

[I/O]

back to work in Novosib

This doll travelled from Novosibirsk to St Pete (LA to Boston if you like) to spend a fortnight with you and you were not 500% sure of her intentions at the outset. You gotta be kidding man. I hope you now have a better understanding of Siberian women. BTW, excellent report. I'm really impressed and to be honest I've never been a great one for trip reports as such because they too often gild the lilly or provide way to much detail. Yours really hits the mark.

[dogspot]

This doll travelled from Novosibirsk to St Pete (LA to Boston if you like) to spend a fortnight with you and you were not 500% sure of her intentions at the outset. You gotta be kidding man. I hope you now have a better understanding of Siberian women. BTW, excellent report. I'm really impressed and to be honest I've never been a great one for trip reports as such because they too often gild the lilly or provide way to much detail. Yours really hits the mark.

Thanks, I/O

It seems the 1% of doubt was merely my cautious side reminding me that WOVO is a dangerous and highly risky method of international dating. I also feel that my cautious approach with Elena is partially due to my previous failed relationship with a RW in which I allowed myself to fall in love with the idea of a RW rather than waiting to see if there was anything there. I was foolish and, although I did fall in love with the aforementioned woman, our relationship moved way faster than it should have.

In reality, this trip could be considered a WMVO, since I made 5 other contacts with other ladies here in Piter, but really only wanted to focus on Elena. The correspondence with the others was light and not too personal. I thought about contacting one or two of them for coffee during some of my down time (like now) but I now feel 100% commited to Elena and feel it will only be wasting their time.

[dobradavid]

Day 6

I write this on a rainy Saturday morning at Coffee Haus by my new apartment on Vladimirskaya Prospekt. Yesterday was by far my best day yet in Piter.

We walked back toward my flat and Elena asked a taxi driver about the cost of a ride back to where she was staying. The driver said there was no way of getting there until morning because the bridges were all raised. It’s funny because Elena was partially aware of this dilemma but never mentioned it. Instead she asked me “Is it ok if I stay with you until the morning?”

I had the best night sleep I have had in a long time.  

My compliments on your trip report. 

[Phil dAmore]

I was reading Phil d’Amore’s report (thanks Phil…great report) about his recent visit to SPb and about free internet at McDonald.

Thank you! Glad to help out.

I am convinced that these ticket agents are trained to spot tourists by simply looking at them.

They are.  Know how they do it?   By looking at the shoes you are wearing.  No, seriously that's how they do it. 

You might have had better luck if you had sent Elena in alone or stayed out of sight while she was buying the tickets. 

[Misha]

 

I will echo what others have said. What a nice report.

[dogspot]

Day 7

Elena woke up at dawn to head down to the metro station. She planned on spending the day with her best friend, cooking a nice dinner for me at her flat. She kissed me and told me to keep sleeping. I told her I wanted to walk her to the metro station and she said “no, you should sleep”. She got up, got dressed, and went into the bathroom to freshen up. While she was doing this I too got dressed. She heard me and said from the other room “Jeffrey, what are you doing?” I said nothing but smiled at her with my eyes half shut. She smiled too and continued to freshen up.

The metro station is two blocks from my flat (new flat, great location) and we walked down the street with our arms around each other with me holding the umbrella. She asked me “can I kiss you?” I said nothing but turned my head toward her and we gave each other a nice, gentle little kiss. She squeezed my arm and said “thank you for waking up and walking with me”. I smiled, knowing that I made the right decision by disobeying her request to keep sleeping.

We arrived at the station and made plans with each other to meet later. We kissed but today’s kisses were more passionate, comfortable, and familiar than any of the previous days. These kisses were amazing. I saw the love in her eyes as she said in a soft voice
 “I’ll call you later”. I walked home in the rain to reflect on the amazing night we enjoyed together and the brief but pleasant morning we shared. I felt something that I haven’t felt in many years. I fell in love years ago and the feeling was undeniable. I am feeling the same way today.

I have exchanged a few goofy sms with Elena throughout the day. I also received a call and from her and her friend. They were laughing and having a good time preparing to have me over for dinner. She sounded giddy. I feel giddy. Is giddy actually a word?

I spent most of my time alone walking around town, catching up on emails, writing this TR, etc. I just love this city. I again ate at the Dubai Café and watched people walking by on Nevsky. This is always pleasant to me. I can never get over how many beautiful, thin women there are here. Why can’t it be this way everywhere?

Elena called me and asked me to take the metro to Akademicheskaya to meet her at 6. I spent a couple hours getting ready (not because it actually takes me that long to get ready, but because I was excited to see her again). I arrived early to the station where she was to meet me and called her to let her know I was there. The rain was falling rather heavily now so I waited in the station. While I waited, I took pleasure in admiring the beauty of the surroundings. There were gorgeous young ladies everywhere, all dressed up for Saturday night.

Elena arrived and we walked and embraced under the shelter of the umbrella. We were headed for her friend’s apartment a few blocks from the metro station.

We arrived at the small, one bedroom studio apartment and made ourselves comfortable on the small sofa. We held each other close and she told me how nice it was to stay the night with me last night and how much she missed me all day.

We had a couple hours alone until her friend returned from the fitness club and spent most of it in the kitchen preparing dinner. After we had completed our preparations, we lit the stove to heat the dulma. Elena asked me to join her in the other room to relax while this food cooked. We were enjoying each other’s company when suddenly the smell of burning food overwhelmed us. We rushed into the kitchen and found the dulma was charred. We laughed at our mistake and made many jokes about what we were going to tell her friend when she arrived.

Elena’s friend (I will call her Lana) arrived home and I greeted her as she removed her shoes and coat. It was the first time we have met but both of us knew much about each other from Elena. Lana knows almost no English and prefers to only speak in Russian. She is also very shy but happy to have me in her home. I made many jokes with her about our cooking mishaps and she thought it was cool.

I presented Lana with a gift of a bottle of California Pinot Noir. She was thrilled and asked me to open the bottle to enjoy with dinner. The three of us sat at the small table, listening to Frank Sinatra, eating rice pilaf, cucumber salad and drinking wine. The conversation was mostly in Russian but I made sure to contribute a little bit. As we neared the end of the bottle, we were all feeling rather joyous and goofy. For me it was wonderful to be with Elena and Lana together; to witness her and her actions around friends. I was happy to learn that she is no different around her friends than she is with me and shows me the same affection either way. For me this meant a lot.

The ladies got ready and we walked to the metro to head to a club. The club was located about 40 minutes away from Lana’s flat at Narovskaya Prospect. We walked around the area trying to find the club but kept getting lost. We asked numerous people for directions but most people didn’t know or sent us the wrong way. We finally found the club and there was a long wait outside. We contemplated not staying but it seems that since we spent so much time getting there and the fact that it was already 2330, that we should wait it out.

After approximately 30 minutes of waiting we finally made it into the club. This club was a little different than most as the patrons were almost entirely young rasta looking kids with dreadlocks and thrift store fashions. Inside the club there were people playing congas, djembes and other percussion instruments and DJs spinning calypso tracks mixed with dance beats. The vibe was strange but good. I squeezed my way to the bar and ordered us all a drink. We found a place to sit on the edge of a stage and watched people dance. I made a comment to Elena that a lot of these young folks were likely on ecstasy. A few minutes later she turned to me and said “you are right, I just heard this girl say she had taken ecstasy”. I thought it was funny so I said something funny in English to the girl. She turned to me and said in broken English, “I hope your night is full of love and joy and peace.” So funny.
After a few minutes an older African fellow and his bandmates took the stage and the house music stopped. We were already stage front and the crowd turned to focus their attention on the band. The African guy (with a Russian flag painted on the side of his face) cued up the band and launched into a high energy Reggae number that immediately got everyone in the crowd dancing. The energy was electric and the club was bouncing. It was quite fun, actually, even though this type of scene is not something that any of the 3 of us are into.

We stayed for a couple hours and the band kept playing and the crowd never let up. We finally left at 230 and found a taxi home. I sat in the front seat and the girls in the back. I held on for my life as the driver flew through the streets of Piter to get us home as quick as he could. He stopped at my street and let me out. I didn’t have a chance to say goodnight to Elena and Lana because as soon as I stepped out of the cab, he hit the gas and sped off. I was a little peeved by this but oh well.

Earlier in the evening I started feeling tightness in my left ankle that is quite painful when I walk. I have felt something similar to this before from extensive walking. I believe all the miles that we have walked over the past week have taken their toll on my legs, ankles, feet. Anyway, the walk to my apartment from the place where the driver let me out was extremely difficult. I limped to my apartment and went straight to bed, hoping that some rest would cure my ails.

[Faux Pas]

Hey dogspot,

Yes giddy is a word! Enjoying your TR. Keep it coming

[JR]

YAY DS! Sounds like things are progressing well for you and your lady! Hope you leg heals quickly.

[dogspot]

Day 8

Today was my rest and recovery day. I stayed alone last night and arrived home late. I needed to catch up on my sleep so I slept until nearly 1100 today. I woke up, got dressed and tried to go for a walk. My ankle was still bothering me and it was very difficult to walk. I did my best and managed to walk to buy myself a cappuccino.

Elena sent me a sms late last night, after I went to sleep, telling me that she will come over around 1300 or 1400 today but 1330 rolled around and I hadn’t heard from her. I gave her a call and she said she slept very late and would be late. I reminded her to bring me the leftovers from the previous night’s meal (prepared by her) for me to eat for tonight’s dinner. She was thrilled that I wanted to eat her food twice.

Most of my day was spent picking up my apartment, grocery shopping, and catching up on this here TR.

She arrived at my apartment and I reminded her that my ankle was still quite sore and that I would prefer to not walk so much today. She agreed and said she just wanted to stay around my flat and take it easy with me. She also reminded me that she was going to the theater with Lana this evening and wanted to make sure that was ok with me. I had not forgotten and told her of course it was ok. But she also brought over some “stuff” so she could return to my flat after the theater to stay the night with me.

We enjoyed a few hours together in the afternoon; drinking tea, eating cake, talking, kissing. The comfort I feel around this woman is amazing. I brought thousands of digital photos for her to see and so we continued viewing photos of my family and telling stories. Lana called to inform Elena that she would soon be at the theater.

I had a few hours to kill so I spent my time here at the flat, listening to music, reading, and relaxing in the comfort of this amazing flat. (I definitely want to recommend this place to anyone coming to Piter. For $60 a night, it is a steal.) I also got out and went for a walk. I wanted to buy a gift for Elena while she was out and found a perfume shop on the corner by my flat. Honestly, I have never bought perfume for a woman without knowing exactly what she likes, so I am not really sure if I should buy her what I like or wait and let her choose. Suggestions?

Elena arrived back to my flat around 2300. She and I are both film nerds, one of the aspects of our relationship that we have built on from the beginning of our correspondence. She asked me before going to the theater if I would choose a good film in English language to watch with English subtitles (this aids greatly in her English practices). I selected the film “Into the Wild” (2007 – USA) because it is not only a fantastic film, but it paints a good picture of the geography of my home state of California, as well as middle America (where I lived for some years) and Alaska.

The film is long but she was quite captured by the story and beauty of the film. At the conclusion of the film we both were silent. I turned to look at her face and she was smiling and weeping. She wiped a tear from her eye and said “that was an amazing film”.

We stayed on the sofa for awhile and cuddled. I let her catch her breath for a few minutes and to allow the remaining emotions from the film fade. I was eager to change the mood and wanted to create joy and laughter but it needed to occur in a subtle way. I have come to realize that she is very ticklish, but I am not one to attack someone into a tickle fit. Instead, I gave her a few light kisses on the neck that sent shivers through her body and put a smile on her face.

After an hour or so of “cuddling” we logged into my Facebook page and I introduced her to photos of many of my old friends. I was able to tell some pretty good stories about some people and the times I shared with them and she not only found it interesting but told me that she loves the fact that I am sharing all of these stories of family and friends with her.

Our relationship is progressing more every day. The more we know about each other, the more comfortable we are with each other; the more comfortable, the more close. It is already apparent to me that we are progressing to the point where we are no longer dating but “with” each other. I am her man and she my lady. I can’t help but feel that this is the beginning of something special for both of us. But I will not force the issue. This relationship has developed slowly and blossomed through a great deal of patience and persistence. With this in mind, I will continue to focus on our daily lives here in Piter, and not worry about how, when, where or even if I will ask for her hand in marriage. It is far too early in our relationship to even consider.

[dogspot]

Thank you! Glad to help out.

They are.  Know how they do it?   By looking at the shoes you are wearing.  No, seriously that's how they do it. 

You might have had better luck if you had sent Elena in alone or stayed out of sight while she was buying the tickets. 

Thanks, Phil!

I followed your advice yesterday while Elena bought tickets for St. Isaac's Cathedral and they didn't ask any questions. I think we have this figured out now. 

[Mars]

Quote from: Phil dAmore on October 18, 2009, 02:39:28 PM
Thank you! Glad to help out.

They are.  Know how they do it?   By looking at the shoes you are wearing.  No, seriously that's how they do it.

You might have had better luck if you had sent Elena in alone or stayed out of sight while she was buying the tickets.

Thanks, Phil!

I followed your advice yesterday while Elena bought tickets for St. Isaac's Cathedral and they didn't ask any questions. I think we have this figured out now.  Smiley

- - - - -

I have not  found that this works in Russia to avoid the double (or higher pricing) for non-Russian people.

Sure it is easy to buy the cheaper tickets at the kasa . . . but it is the later 'ticket taker' at the entrance that can make the call to turn away the foreigner with the cheaper Russian ticket.

So don't count on this working for you all the time.

Thankfully, Ukraine does not practice this price discrimination.

[Lily]

  We finally arrived at the museum and had only one hour to spend inside. Elena tried to purchase two tickets for Russian citizens but the lady charged her for one foreigner. I am convinced that these ticket agents are trained to spot tourists by simply looking at them. It could also be that she noticed the woman was making the purchase and doing the negotiating. This might be a dead giveaway.

 

It is against the law to charge different prices for the same service for locals and foreigners. Perhaps visitors can file a complaint.

[Faux Pas]

It is against the law to charge different prices for the same service for locals and foreigners. Perhaps visitors can file a complaint.

Really? In St Pete it was so often, I expected it everywhere I went. I remember paying equal for the ballet but all of the tours and museums there were separate pricing. I couldn't read the signs but my understanding was that the signs reflected the different pricing.

[CallMeSasha]

It is against the law to charge different prices for the same service for locals and foreigners. Perhaps visitors can file a complaint.

is that a recent amendment? I remember "avoiding" foreigner rates at least one museum in moscow - maybe more?

[Phil dAmore]

It is against the law to charge different prices for the same service for locals and foreigners. Perhaps visitors can file a complaint.

Really Lily?  Someone needs to inform the management of The Hermitage, The Russian Museum, The Museum of Artillery, Enginering and Signal Corps, The museums at the Peter and Paul Fortress, The Marinsky Theater, The Little Hermitage Theater, The Science Museum, Kuntskamera, The Church on Spilled Blood and a few others that slip my mind right now....